Archives

Meta

FAQs

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland 2014

I am happy to offer all of the advice that I have based on my personal experiences and travel style. I am an open book, so be prepared for in-depth answers to your questions. What I share with you all here are my travel experiences as a single 20-something female with no major possessions (car, apartment, etc), no family commitments, manageable debt, and very few personal belongings. I currently live a nomadic lifestyle that requires me to make many sacrifices in terms of giving up a lot of comforts that most people aren’t willing to pull themselves away from. It isn’t always easy, but I am more than happy to live this way in order to make my travel dreams come to life. I plan to make money as a world traveler someday, but until then, this is where I am in life and I’m thrilled to be here. So as you ask me questions, or read the answers to these FAQs, please keep that backstory in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

“How do you do it?”I had to throw this one in first because I get it from someone new at least twice a week. Which is where my introduction comes in. That, my friends, is the root of the answer to this question. I will also include that there are points during the year where I do have to commit to sitting still in one place for weeks or months at a time so that I can work a job (live-in nannying is basically my “career” at the moment). During these times, I put about 90% of my money into my travel savings so that I can get up and go again. I am very blessed to have connections with multiple employers who understand and support my lifestyle. Moral of the story, if you are a genuinely good person, people are almost always happy to help you out.

“What are all the places that you have you’ve visited so far?This is a hard question for me to give a quick answer to. I’ll start out by listing places outside of the contiguous United States: Mexico, Belize, Hawaii, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Barbados. A lot of people are only interested in hearing about or visiting places outside of the US, but our country has some of the most beautiful and intriguing landscapes and cultures in the world! I was born in Florida, grew up in Connecticut (and explored most of the states in the North East), attended college in both California and Colorado, road-tripped across the country many times, and am currently living in Chicago temporarily for work. Everywhere I’ve been has played a role in teaching me important lessons about people, life and travel…especially America! I won’t get too deep into that here, but the bottom line is, don’t underestimate the importance and benefits of domestic travel. Many people never even leave their hometown in their lifetime; if you’ve ever traveled out of state for any reason, I commend you. Keep exploring!

“What made you want to start traveling?”Once you get a bite from the travel bug, it takes hold of you forever. There are tons of reasons as to why I wanted to start traveling, but I think it boils down to the fact that I just crave the change. I grew up learning to adapt to change constantly. Whether it was a new home or a new father-figure, I was constantly put in situations where I had to accept that the comforts I’d had were about to shift and the people in my life were going to as well. As an adult, I am grateful that I had the chance to receive those lessons at such a young age, because now I am comforted by the idea of getting a change of scenery in far-away places that allow me to learn about and understand people and the world on a much bigger scale. I am on a quest for freedom and knowledge and the chance to learn more life lessons. I want to be as well-rounded as I can be and that is one thing that travel definitely makes me.

“What is your ethnicity?”My father is Bajan and my mother is Italian. While this question seems to have nothing to do with travel, I will explain why it does for some people. While we most often see or hear about young, caucasian men and women traveling the world, it does not mean that it isn’t safe or possible for anyone else to do so. There will always be parts of the world where a certain race may face discrimination or hardships, but if you go out into the world with that fear on the forefront of your mind, you will only create those sort of road blocks for yourself. Yes, I have brown skin, yet I have never felt threatened in another country because of my ethnicity. I firmly believe that the world will welcome you with open arms if you are a good and loving person underneath your skin color, gender, age and financial/social status. Simply be smart, respectful and mindful of your surroundings when you travel and the world is yours.

Aren’t you afraid of traveling alone? No. Being the older sister out of three girls and the oldest cousin out of 13 kids, I’ve become used to being the one to take the first step into unknown territories and paving the way. There was a time when I was so scared of being alone, that I would start to hyperventilate at age 13 if my mom left me at home while she quickly ran out to run an errand. Sounds pretty pathetic, but I had no older kids around to show me that it was okay to be home alone and that I would be just fine. I had to find the courage inside myself to overcome that fear and be the example for the younger kids in my life. Growing up in this position taught me a lot about independence and self-sufficiency. Also, growing up in a small city just outside of New York City had a great impact on my level of street smarts. I am very observant and a really good people-reader. So no, I am not afraid because I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and knowing how and when to avoid dangerous situations. There is no need to a fear traveling alone just because you are as a woman. Besides, I think we all know that one of the greatest forces in this world is the power of female intuition! 😉